Start Over
by DreamyHope
Summary: Skye has a baby and Ward doesn't like the baby. (obviously AU ;o) )
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I can't tell you much about the story as I don't want to spoil it. I didn't want to write it so long but I wrote 9 pages already. I guess it's a half of the story so it will have at least 4 chapters.**

**It's AU. I didn't want to write any more AoS ff but I couldn't help myself.**

**It could be sequel to my other stories (Hide your feelings, Believe and The Mission) but it's up to you.**

**There are probably (most likely!) mistakes in this story so feel free to let me know about them. ;o)**

Skye took a deep breath before she entered the Bus. She was away just for a weekend but to her it seemed longer, so many things changed. She wasn't sure how she would handle everything but she had to at least try. She looked down on a bundle in her arms and smiled a little bit.

She went through a cargo hold and peeked into the lab because she knew it would be easier explaining everything to Jemma first. She could give her an advice how to tell Coulson but Skye wasn't that lucky. With another deep breath she climbed up the stairs. Skye heard voices from the lounge area. "Ok, baby girl, we will handle this," she whispered to the sleeping baby.

"Hi," she said as she walked into the room.

"Skye!" Simmons squeaked, get up of the sofa where she was chatting with Fitz and ran to her. She wanted to hug her but spotted the baby. Jemma froze. "What is it?"

Skye smiled, she couldn't help herself. "It's a baby, Jemma."

"Baby?" Fitz repeated as he came closer to the girls. "You don't have a baby."

She rolled her eyes. "I do now," she answered with a sigh. She looked at Coulson who was frowning.

"Could you explain that?" Their boss asked.

"Lilly is my friend's daughter. She is...," Skye shook her head, "she was my best friend. We grew up together in the orphanage. Nobody wanted us. We knew that when we will come back from another foster family we will always meet in St. Agnes. But I know that it's not what you want to know," she assured them. "Claire got pregnant by some guy who left her when she told him they are going to have a baby. She was four months pregnant when they found out she's got a cancer. She had to decide if she wants to keep the baby or not. Well, there wasn't much to decide. She always wanted children. She was caring, she loved them, she was so happy." Skye stopped talking. It took a few minutes until she could continue as memories came back to her. "She started a treatment after Lilly was born but it was too late. She died yesterday afternoon just a few hours after I arrived to the hospital. I had to promise her I will take care of her little girl. I'm sorry AC. I know it's not ideal but I can't let Lilly go to the orphanage. I can't keep her either I know that but I want to find her a loving home. I will understand if you don't want me here and I will go away and find us some place where we could stay. I just had to come and see you at least for the last time. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Jemma said. "You're not going anywhere!" She stopped as she looked at Coulson. "Is she, Sir?"

He shook his head. "No, she's not," he assured them.

"Thanks," Skye smiled. It was just a small victory but at least she didn't have to raise a child as a homeless person.

"Wait!" Ward called out. It was the first time he spoke since she entered the lounge area until now he just stared at her. "Baby on the Bus? Seriously, Sir? I think we've got enough trouble without the child on board! What about the missions? Who will look after that when all of us will be in the field?"

"It's not that! And she's got a name, Ward," Skye snapped.

He made a face. "I don't care about its' name. How do you want to continue with your training when you will have to take care of the baby? Do you even know how to take care of it?"

Skye's face turned into stone. She made a few steps in his direction. "Her name is Lilly. You might be surprised now but yes, I know how to take care of a baby! Who do you think looked after her since her mum died? She's two weeks old so she couldn't take care of herself like you or I did!"

"She's staying, Agent Ward," Coulson made a decision. "I want to have a private talk with you right now!" He set off to his office. Grant gave her last annoyed look before he followed his boss.

"What is your problem, agent Ward?" asked Coulson as he sat to his chair behind the table in his office.

Ward raised his eyebrows. "My problem, Sir?" He pretended he's confused because it was much easier than admit anything.

Older man gave him a sharp look. "I know you know what I mean so just skip that part and tell me what your problem is. Why don't you want that baby here?"

Grant sighed. "I just don't think it's safe." He shrugged.

Now Coulson was the one who was really confused. "I don't understand."

There was another sigh. "They could use it as a weapon against us."

"Who? Skye and who?"

Ward shook his head impatiently. "I don't mean Skye. That little girl could be used against her too because Skye really cares about her. She looks like she cares about her more than anything. That baby probably means a world to her. But it's bad because everybody who will go after us will take advantage of that! They could try to kidnap the baby or hurt her."

Coulson pressed his lips together. He knew Ward could be right but he couldn't send Skye away; he knew that her only home was this plane. "I get it now but I don't think it will be a problem. Actually Lilly could help us with our next mission," he said and his eyes widened.

Grant frowned. "What mission, Sir?" he questioned but he didn't get any answer because his boss was already on his way out of the office. He followed him and frowned more if it was even possible.

Coulson stopped in the lounge area where the rest of the team still was. "I've got a new mission for us!" he announced cheerfully.

FitzSimmons exchanged a confused look, May's expression didn't change and Skye seemed to be fully focused at the little girl in her arms.

"What mission, Sir?" Ward repeated his question, disappointed by not much enthusiasm from the team.

Coulson told them about a married couple with a two-year-old boy – which seemed as a very important information – currently living in London. He said that S.H.I.E.L.D. is watching over them because of the unknown superpowers. He told them about the Programme Pegasus which was about to give them those superpowers. There were no signs of them – until now. In their neighbourhood happened many suspicious things lately which made S.H.I.E.L.D. worried so they wanted somebody to befriend that couple, gain their trust and figure out what was happening.

"As there aren't many children in that area I would like to send Lilly too," ended Coulson his explaining.

Skye looked up. "You want me on that mission?" she asked, surprisingly. She didn't want to go on a mission. She wanted to be with her little girl and remember her late friend. She wanted to grief at least for a few days.

"It doesn't have to be you. If you want to Simmons can go undercover."

She shook her head. "I can't just hand in Lilly to anybody yet. I'm sorry, Jemma." She looked at the biochemist.

Simmons smiled. "It's okay. I really don't want to go. I will happily stay in the lab." She assured her.

"Ok then, Skye will go with...," Coulson looked around questioningly.

Fitz looked like that he's going to cry if his boss would say he has to go. He really didn't want to. He wanted to stay with Jemma in the lab because it was the only place where he was happy. He didn't like the missions. It wasn't safe. He still remembered South Ossetia and it wasn't a very good memory. Well, not every mission was like that one but none of them were really safe or without trouble and he experienced too many troubles for his taste.

"I'll go," said Ward and rolled his eyes as he looked at Fitz.

Skye raised her eyebrows at him. She was really surprised he wanted to go on that mission because he was avoiding her and it didn't seem like he likes Lilly. "Are you sure?" she asked. "You know that Lilly is going to be there all the time, right?" She didn't want to question his decision but she didn't want him to regret it.

He sighed, giving her one of his looks. "Of course, I know that. She's a quite important asset for this mission, don't you think?"

She made a face. "You don't have to be offensive. I just don't get it! Why do you want to be there when you don't even like her?"

He pressed his lips together. He should have seen that coming. He should have known she would have realized that and she would want her answers but he wasn't ready to give them to her yet so he improvised. "Because you need a protection and I don't think Fitz can effectively protect you." He turned at the younger man. "No offence."

"None taken," he assured.

Coulson smiled for a bit. He knew Ward would want this mission if Skye would be involved. "Skye and Agent Ward it is then."

"When do we start, Sir?" the specialist asked.

"Tomorrow morning," he answered. "You will need to read those," he handed them files with all the information they would need.

"Thanks, AC," nodded Skye and took the file. She was going to read it later in her bunk when Lilly would be sleeping and nobody would have any more questions.

"She's hungry, Ward!" explained Skye and tried to pull herself from his arms.

"I don't care! You've got training! You agreed with it!" pointed out Grant.

She sighed. "It's not my fault that Lilly wants to eat!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Simmons!" he yelled.

"Why are you calling Jemma?" Skye was confused and she forgot about the crying girl only few steps from her for a little moment.

"Do you need something, Ward?" biochemist asked as she looked out of the lab. Her expression clearly said she's not very pleased by all his yelling.

"Yes! I need you to feed the baby and take care of her until we're finished with our training."

Jemma frowned. "Didn't you forget something?"

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"First I could be busy. Second when you want a help from somebody you are not just yelling! I'm a human being not a robot!" she snapped.

Skye chuckled and Ward's arms around her body tightened.

"Could you feed the baby and look after her for a little while?" he asked. "Please," he added when Jemma lifted her eyebrows.

"Of course I could," she smiled and walked to them.

"I don't want her to! I can take care of Lilly!" Skye tried to resist. She didn't like the idea of being without Lilly for more than a few minutes and she was sure Ward would want to train for at least another half an hour.

"No, you can't!" he snapped. "You need to train!"

"I hate you, Ward," she whispered as she watched Jemma taking Lilly into her arms.

"Don't worry, Skye. She's safe with me," she assured her friend.

"That's not it. It's just," she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I will come as soon as possible."

"I know you will," smiled Simmons. She would have to be blind if she wouldn't see how much the young agent cares about that little girl. She walked back to the lab, cuddling Lilly.

For next twenty minutes Skye and Grant couldn't hear a single sob. But when they were just about to finish in five minutes loud and heartbreaking crying reached their ears. Skye froze in the middle of her move so Ward knocked her out.

"Damn it, Skye! You need to focus!" he frowned.

"I can't! Lilly's crying! I have to see her," she snapped, stood up and rushed to the lab.

"You will do twenty push ups for every minute away!" he yelled after her.

"Yeah. Sure."

Ward stayed on the same place and didn't really understand what just happened. Did she just agree to do it later because of that little evil in the lab? What the hell happened with his Rookie? He sighed and went to the lab as well. He could see Skye with the calmed baby against her shoulder.

"You will not believe that, Ward! Lilly stopped crying at the moment Skye appeared! She didn't want to stop since Jemma fed her and then Skye came in and she's calm. She looks like she'll sleep at any minute now," explained Fitz excitedly.

"Amazing," sneered Ward.

After two more minutes Lilly started to breath regularly. "She's sleeping," said Skye. "We can go back to our training." She looked at her SO.

He checked his watch. "Seven and a half minutes, Skye."

"Yeah, I know. One hundred and fifty push ups, I heard you, don't worry," she assured him before walking back to the cargo hold. She put the baby girl in the sleeping basket and went to do those push ups.

Grant was surprised she did it without at least trying to avoid it. He blamed the baby.


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning Ward, Skye and Lilly moved in a nice house with four bedrooms (neither of them understood why there were so many rooms), a gym (Skye could see sparkles in Grant's eyes when he saw it), a swimming pool and a big garden.

Skye stood in the doorway to the main bedroom with sleeping Lilly in her arms and sighed. She didn't want to do that. She knew for sure she's going to fail. Everybody thought that it's because of Claire and Lilly and everything that happened lately but the truth was she didn't want to do it because of Grant. Almost nothing was like before HYDRA. Yes, she still had feelings for him and she still hoped they could be something more than just SO and a rookie but he didn't even look at her properly, much less touched her when he doesn't have to or kiss her. Skye turned and shoved into Ward. "You can have this bedroom," she jerked her head. "I will sleep in Lilly's bedroom."

She wanted to go past him but he caught hold of her arm, cold expression on his face. "Everybody has to believe we are married so you'll sleep in the same bedroom as me," he insisted.

Skye stared at him in disbelief then she shook her head. "You can't be serious! It's just us in this house; we don't have to play anything! You can happily stay in the gym all the time and I'll be with this little angel," she smiled lovingly as she looked down at the baby.

"You might think nobody can see us but you can be wrong! In the end this is a deep undercover mission so we have to live our undercover!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she answered sarcastically. "I forgot that deep undercover missions are your specialities!" she snapped. She didn't plan that at all but she was angry and tired and sad so it just slipped out.

It looked like his face turned into stone. "Yes, they are. And I'm really good in it so you'll listen to me," he said coldly. "If not I'm going to call Coulson, he will send Simmons and you will have to be without Lilly." It was the first time he called the little girl by her name.

She gritted her teeth and snapped: "I can't believe you're doing this! I hate you, Ward."

"Yeah, I know. I've heard you yesterday and I don't really care, you know?" Except he did care. He didn't want her to hate him but he needed her there so he was going to threaten her if it was the only way to make her stay.

She wasn't sure what he's up to but she knew that if she would still fight with him it won't be good for anybody. "Fine, I'll sleep here," she sighed.

"Did it hurt?" he asked sarcastically.

Skye just rolled her eyes and went to Lilly's bedroom right next to theirs.

It was a warm and sunny early morning and Skye sat in the chair in the garden with a cup of coffee in her hands. Their first night in the house was over and she didn't sleep much. She worried that she would toss and it would lead to waking up next to Ward. So she didn't allow herself to sleep for longer than half an hour. And she knew for sure that her _husband_ didn't sleep either. He lay down without moving for hours. He got up around five o'clock when he thought she's finally fast asleep and went to the gym. He was still there after almost three hours.

Skye sighed. It looked like Lilly was the only one who slept last night. She had to get up to her only few times. She didn't bother asking Ward for his help. She was sure he wouldn't do that. He didn't even look at Lilly for the whole time. Skye knew Lilly means nothing to him but she wished he would at least try.

With another sigh escaping her lips she sipped her coffee.

"It's nice morning, isn't it?" voice from behind her said.

She didn't look at him and asked: "What are you doing here? I thought you'll be in the gym until lunch." It wasn't fair to him and she knew it but she couldn't help herself. He ignored her or her wishes. Yesterday afternoon she asked him to go for a walk with her and Lilly and he just gave her _are you kidding_ look and went to the swimming pool. She was tempted to tell him it was his bright idea to behave as a married couple all the time but then she just shook her head and went out of the door with Lilly in the pushchair. It was the moment when everything went more wrong.

"Skye," sighed Grant and sat down on the chair next to hers. She could smell his shower gel and her body reacted.

"What?" She was rude, she was aware of it and she didn't care because he did the same thing to her yesterday.

"We need to talk. We need some rules. We can't live like this. It's barely twenty four hours of the mission and we already hate each other."

Skye would like to say she doesn't hate him but she couldn't. "I just asked you to come with us for a walk. If we have to be seen as a married couple with a newborn baby then I can't do everything alone! I didn't ask you to take care of Lilly or push the pushchair. I only asked for a walk! I didn't even expect you will be smiling or chatting! I would never want more than I asked you for. Could you understand that?" she said with her eyes on the grass in front of them.

Both of them were quite for a few minutes. Ward took a breath as he wanted to answer her but Lilly was awake and she let them know through the baby monitor on the table. Skye sighed unhappily, stood up and went to the house. He could hear her talking to the baby and his heart raced. He loved her voice, her laugh, the way she talked to her late friend's daughter; he even loved the way she talked to him when she was upset with him. He rubbed his forehead. It was complicated and he was asking for troubles but he couldn't help himself. She was always his light at the end of the tunnel and he needed her.

Skye put the baby to the pushchair, put her sunglasses on and was just about to leave when she heard Ward from the upstairs: "Wait for me!" he ordered.

She raised her eyebrows at the little girl, surprisingly. Skye didn't like the tone of his voice but she was curious what he was up to so she waited. A few moments later he appeared on the top of the stairs. Skye turned around. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Grant was dressed in his shorts, T-shirt which didn't leave any space for imagination, sunglasses and trainers. "I'm coming with you," he answered simply as it was be the most natural thing.

Skye's eyes widened. "What?"

He gave her eloquent look. Her reaction didn't surprise him because his reaction was the same when he found himself getting ready just five minutes ago. "I need to spend more time with my family," he said and opened the door so she could walk out of the house comfortably.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Why are you doing this? Don't get me wrong I quite like it but I just want to know why. It didn't seem that you like the whole idea of this mission."

He shrugged and locked the door behind them. "Well, I think you were right. We are supposed to be married and happy because we've got a newborn baby. I should take my part in this seriously."

His answer surprised Skye. "She didn't expect that. She honestly thought he would rebuff her with one of his specialist's answers. She smiled a little bit. "Thank you."

He hugged her around her shoulders with one arm and kissed her on the temple. It was a natural gesture and it felt right. He wanted to do more so he moved closer to her and caught the pushchair right next to her hand. When she looked at him he nodded.

Skye looked in his eyes for a few seconds. She was trying to figure out what is going on. She was worried that he's just playing some sort of game with her. But when she didn't find anything suspicious in his expression she let the pushchair go. _There's nothing to worry about,_ she told herself. _I'm going to be right next to them all the time._

"Where are we heading?" he asked as they walked further from their house.

"Well, there should be a playground nearby," she shrugged.

"Is Lilly old enough for the playgrounds?" frowned Ward.

Skye chuckled. "Of course she's not. But do you know where else find parents and their kids?"

He didn't answer her question. It didn't seem that she expected the answer anyway. "What are we going to do if they're not there?" he asked instead.

She shrugged carefree. "It doesn't matter. We don't have to find them the first day."

"Well, it's second day technically and it would make things easier if we would find them today," he pointed out.

Skye pressed her lips together and her only answer was simple: "Wow."

Grant turned to her. "What?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "For a few minutes I believed that it's not all about the mission. But you just don't let me forget that it is, do you? You are unbelievable, Grant Ward! Seriously!" She made a face. She was upset and she wanted to make sure he would know that.

"What do you want from me, Skye? We don't have a time for this! This is a job! We can't be personally involved in it! You keep forgetting that!" he whispered as he wasn't sure if somebody was around.

She clenched her teeth. "AC made this personal when he put Lilly on this mission! It's not my fault!"

"You shouldn't bring her on the plane in the first place! He snapped angrily. He regretted his words in the moment when he saw tears in Skye's eyes.

"This isn't fair. She deserves better than me or her mother," she said softly.

Grant sighed. He knew it wasn't fair but he was upset and he wasn't sure why exactly. "I'm sorry, Skye. It just slipped out," he apologized.

"Yeah, I know. It always slips out," she assured him sarcastically. "I think you shouldn't come with us next time," she said and turned away from him. She couldn't look at him right now.

There was another sign of an unspoken promise that she would never have tears in her eyes because of him again.

Two weeks of avoiding each other passed. Skye didn't talk to him if it wasn't necessary. She didn't stay in the same room as him for long – except their bedroom because he showed her very clearly what would happen if she would sleep in a different room than him. She didn't want him near Lilly and she told him that very clearly. But the problem was that he wanted to be near both of them. He was aware of that he acted like a jerk and he wanted to undo but he wasn't sure if it was even possible.

Skye entered the bedroom, unhappy expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Ward.

She sighed as she shook her head. "Lilly was sick," she explained.

"Is she ok?" he asked concerned.

Skye shrugged. "I hope so. She's asleep but I'm not sure for how long. And I need a shower," she whispered as she opened the wardrobe.

Grant knew this was his chance. He could show her he wasn't focused only on the mission. He took a deep breath. "Go get the shower," he said. "I will take care of Lilly if she'll wake up."

Skye turned to him with her eyebrows raised, clearly surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he smiled.

"Ok then," she smiled back. "Thanks."

"You could have a bath," he suggested.

Skye looked puzzled. It was very tempting. She would love to have a long hot bath but she didn't want to give Ward another reason for an argument. She didn't want to fight with him at all but she knew for sure they would. Because they would always find a reason for a fight. She sighed. "I couldn't."

Grant frowned. "Of course you could. You deserve it."

"But I would stay in the bath for at least half an hour and I don't think that Lilly is going to sleep for that long," she made a face.

He stood up from the bed where he was sitting, came to her and laid his hands on her shoulders. "I said I'll take care of Lilly. You go, get a bath and relax."

She raised her eyebrows. "Do you even know how to take care of a baby?" she intentionally asked him the same question he used that day she showed up on the Bus with Lilly in her arms.

It was Ward who made the face now. "Of course I do. He knew how you _should_ take care of the babies but he'd never done it before. Well, Skye didn't need to know that.

"I find it hard to believe," she said but turned and walked to the bathroom.

She used Ward's suggestion and had a bath. She could almost feel how all her concerns were trailing away. She knew it wasn't for long but for now it was nice not to worry about anything and she was enjoying that moment.

When the water started to be cold, Skye sighed. She didn't want to get out of the bath but when she checked the time her eyes widened. She was there for almost an hour. She rushed out of the bath tub so quickly that she almost hurt herself. "Damn it!" she swore and grabbed bathrobe hanging on the door. "I'm so-," she paused in surprise above the picture in front of her. Ward laid on their bed, sleeping and next to him slept Lilly. Ward's arm was lying protectively over the baby's tiny body. Skye pulled her phone out of the pocket and took a picture. She wanted to keep this memory because they both looked so peaceful and cute together that it was worth it. Of course he would go mad if he would ever see that picture.

She smiled and get back to the bathroom so she could get dressed her pyjamas. When she got back to the bedroom the only change was that Lilly was lying closer to Grant. Skye went across the room and tried to take the baby away from him. But when she touched the girl's little body Lilly started to sob and Grant woke up. He looked at the baby and then at Skye. "What are you doing?" he asked confusedly.

"I just want to put Lilly in her crib. Why is she even here?" she wanted to know.

Ward stroked Lilly's hair. "She was crying so I picked her up and when I tried to put her back in the crib she started to cry again." He shrugged. "Then I realized I have to take her with me and we just fell asleep."

She nodded. "I get it. So we just wait until she's sleeping again and then we put her in the crib?" she asked with her eyebrows raised. She was surprised that he picked Lilly up in the first place.

He looked thoughtfully. "That's one option," he admitted.

"You have any other option?"

"She could sleep here with us," he said carefree.

"Are you serious?" Skye didn't expect this. She saw that he changed; he didn't talk about Lilly as _it_ and he suggested he would look after her while she was in the bath but now he actually looked like he cared about her.

"Of course I'm," he assured her.

She shook her head in disbelief. She was happy for Lilly but she was confused as well. Something happened and she wasn't sure what that was; she wasn't even sure if it was good or bad. "Ok. If you want her to I don't mind."

He smiled up at Skye and then looked down, smiled at the little girl and tickled her tummy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two new characters and some daddy Ward.**

* * *

Coulson called Ward very early that day back to the plane for few hours; Skye stayed home with Lilly. Ward suggested they could come with him to see everybody (Skye missed FitzSimmons as well as the rest of the team) but she was too tired because Lilly didn't sleep well that night and even when they had turns at taking care of her it was exhausting.

Around ten o'clock in the morning Skye decided she would take Lilly for a walk to the shop because they ran out of some needed supplies and she hoped that a walk would help the little girl sleep as she didn't sleep at all if somebody didn't carry her. She blamed Grant and that evening when he brought her to their bed. It looked like he was glued with the baby since that day and it was really interesting to watch how they developed together.

Skye pushed the pushchair between shelves with nappies, baby shampoos, baby oils and other babies' stuffs when she saw a woman who looked familiar. She frowned a little bit before realizing that the woman is Elaine. She needed to think about a way how to start conversation with her but didn't have any idea. She started to lose her hope when a little boy with blond curls ran to the pushchair because he didn't look out. He fell on the floor and started to cry.

Skye squatted down. "Oh, are you okay?" she asked and gently touched his shoulder.

He stopped crying, caught by surprise and looked up at her. He sniffed as he nodded.

"Where are your parents?" she asked as if she didn't know anything about him at all. She didn't have much information about the little boy and there was no picture of him in the file but he looked exactly like his father – except the hair, he had his mother's hair.

He sniffed one more time and then pointed at the direction he ran. Skye could see Elaine coming to them; she looked apologetically. "Neal, you know you can't run from me like this!" she said and picked the boy up then she looked at Skye. "I'm really sorry! He does that quite often now. I guess he want to explore everything on his own," she shrugged.

Skye smiled."Well, he's a child and it's probably good thing that he wants to be independent, isn't it?"

"As long as his mummy doesn't have a heart attack, then yes." Blonde haired woman stretched out her hand. "I'm Elaine by the way."

"Oh," she squeezed her hand, "I'm Skye."

"Nice to meet you, Skye. Are you new here? I didn't see you before."

She nodded. "Yeah, we moved in just a few weeks ago. But it was quite hectic so I just went for a walk every day but didn't really see anybody or talk to anybody."

Elaine smiled and took a breath as she wanted to answer but she was interrupted by Skye's call.

Young woman looked at the screen and frowned a little. "Sorry, I have to answer this. It's my husband," she explained with a smile. "What's up?" she said to the phone.

"Where are you?" asked Ward coldly. He was worried when he came back from the meeting with Coulson and found an empty house.

Skye was taken aback by his tone. "In the shop."

"Is Lilly with you?"

"Of course she is! Do you really think I would leave her home on her own?" she whispered angrily and rolled her eyes in the other woman's direction.

She could hear as he sighed. "I don't. I'm sorry. I was just worried when I came back and didn't find any sign of you. Not even a note," he added with clear reproach in his voice.

Skye rubbed her forehead. She actually didn't think he could worry about them so much. Also she didn't expect him back for at least another few hours. Otherwise she would send him a text or leave a note. They were going to talk about it soon. "Well, we're fine," she assured him.

"Great," he answered shortly. "When are you going to be back home? I need to talk to you."

She smiled at Elaine as she looked at her with question written in her face. "I don't know Wa-Grant," she quickly corrected herself as she realized it would seem weird if she called her own husband by his surname. "Probably in an hour?"

"Ok. I'll be waiting. Be careful!"

"What's going on?" asked Skye. Something in his voice made her worried.

"I'll explain you everything when you're back."

She made a face. "Fine. See you."

"Is everything ok?" asked Elaine when Skye put her phone away.

She smiled. "Yeah. He's just overprotective." She shrugged.

"Well, he obviously love you both," the other woman said and smiled at her son in her arms. "Jonah is the same. When he doesn't know where we are he is going crazy. He's looking for us everywhere. I guess it's some sort of men thing."

"I guess so," agreed Skye. "I should get moving because if I won't be home in an hour he'll go through the roof." She gave her a meaningful look.

Elaine chuckled. "Well, I'll better get going too. There are playgroups every day in the church. Don't you want to come by sometimes?" she suggested.

Skye frowned a little. "I don't know. Lilly is probably too young for playgroups."

The older woman laughed. "Oh, she is but it doesn't matter. The first time I went there Neal was just three months old. When you've got older child it can play with other kids but you can talk to other mums and just have fun. I'm sure your little one will be fine. There is always somebody who will look after her, don't worry." She assured her.

Skye thought about it for a few moments. It could be a good opportunity for her to befriend Elaine, she could get to know her better and she might find out what is going on in their neighbourhood. "Ok then. I'll come. What time is it?"

Elaine's face brightened up. "It usually starts at ten but there are some changes sometimes. You know what? Why don't you give me your email and I will send you the schedule."

She saw how excited the woman opposite her was – she reminded her of FitzSimmons. Suddenly she realized how much important it is for Elaine to be friends with her. They exchanged their email addresses and phone numbers, said goodbye to each other and went different directions.

* * *

"You're late!" said Ward when she opened the door of the house.

Skye sighed and rolled her eyes. She pushed the pushchair inside and closed the door behind her. When she was sure nobody could see or hear them she looked at her phone and spoke: "Three minutes Ward. I'm sorry if you were worried but I did my best." She convinced herself she should stay calm even when he would look like he was going to kill her for that. It was better than yelling which would lead to threatening. She was quite sure AC wouldn't send Simmons instead of her now but _her husband _could find other ways how to make her life unpleasant for her.

He pressed his lips together. "How's Lilly?" He covered a short distance between him and the pushchair and leaned down. He saw the little girl sleeping so he looked up at her with his eyebrows raised.

She spread her arms. "Geez, she's fine! Do you think I would be calm if she wouldn't? What is going on with you, Ward?"

He squirmed and she could see hint of concern on his face but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared so she wasn't sure if it was ever there. "I just feel responsible for you. I don't want you to get hurt."

Skye tried to find any sign of a lie in his expression but she wasn't lucky. It hurt! She desperately wanted to find something; something that would tell her he cared about them; something that would tell her he wouldn't walk away when they would be back on the Bus; something what she saw in his eyes when he took care of Lilly for the first time. She blinked few times. "Don't worry about us. We are going to be fine. I can keep her safe," she assured him.

Grant clenched his fists. He knew what she was looking for but he hid it because he was afraid of everything what he felt right now. He knew he cared about them, he loved them but he also knew he shouldn't feel it because when Skye would find a family for Lilly she wouldn't let him in. She would be devastated and she would blame him because he let her to form an attachment with the baby. And he knew for sure he would be devastated as well.

She turned away from him and put the house keys on the cabinet next to the door. "So," she started, "what did AC want?"

Ward took a breath. "Well, they found a connection between the victims."

Skye turned back to him, surprise written in her face. "Really? That's a huge progress. What exactly did they find?"

He sighed. "Every one of the victims knew _our_ couple. It looks like they were killed just few hours after they saw them. But we don't know _why_ they killed them. Coulson thinks it could be because they were angry. May thinks they were just bored. Fitz thinks that the victims told them something they didn't like and Trip agrees with him."

"What does Jemma think?" she whispered the question.

He made the face. "Simmons thinks they could do it because they were jealous. The victims are mostly men but there are two women as well. She thinks the victims must do something which made the couple think they should be jealous so they just kill them." He shrugged. He didn't want to tell her this because he knew she would seize on it.

Skye frowned. "Did they assume that nobody else could do it? I mean," she took a deep breath as she knew he wouldn't like what she was going to say, "I've met Elaine and little Neal in the shop today and you can trust me that she doesn't look like somebody who could kill in cold blood. Seriously Ward, she is really nice! I don't think she would _hurt_ anybody much less _kill_ anybody."

"They all look nice at first sight!" he snapped. His heart tightened with fear. He wasn't happy about the idea that Skye and Lilly were alone with Elaine. And he was even less happy about the idea that she was trying to defend her. Because it could cause a problem and he knew it.

"Yeah, I know but what if they've got some enemies. Anybody could know about Programme Pegasus! They could exploit it because they would figure that everybody would go after them and nobody would suspect it!"

Ward sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I can see your point but," he shook his head with a sigh, "I don't think you're right. I'm sorry Skye but you have to accept the fact that they are responsible for those murders."

"No, I don't have to," she opposed him. "I'm going to prove you that you're wrong."

"Well, I can't wait," said Ward sarcastically.

Skye rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen. She wasn't sure if she didn't slap him if she looked at him for one more moment.

He wanted to follow her but there was a sound of sob so he quickly moved to the pushchair, leaned down and with a broad grin he picked Lilly up. "Hello, baby girl. How are you?" he asked as he walked to see Skye. He found her looking out of the window, her teeth clenched. He frowned when he saw her expression. Once again he was the one who kept hurting her and he didn't like that idea at all. He wanted to make it up to her and he knew exactly how to do it. "By the way," he started, "Fitz and Simmons are coming for a weekend."

It was really amazing to watch how quickly and how much her expression changed. She turned from the window and looked at him, a delight written in her face. "Are you serious?"

Grant nodded. "Yeah, they miss you. And they don't have any mission now so they'll come for a few days. They are driving Coulson crazy already so he allowed it." He chuckled as he remembered earlier that morning when he stepped on the Bus and FitzSimmons plied him with questions about Skye and Lilly. Coulson behind their backs just rolled his eyes.

She smiled and hugged him. She even gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you!"


	4. Chapter 4

_**FitzSimmons came to visit.**_

_**I know it took me long time to write this chapter but I wasn't in a writing mood lately.**_

_**Also my original plan with this story changed...for the second time. First I wanted to write one-shot, then I thought about four chapters and now I'm there so I guess I won't make any more promises or plans. :D**_

_**All mistakes are mine and I'm sorry for them.**_

It was six o'clock in the evening when FitzSimmons arrived. Skye was just about to give Lilly a bath. It has been a long day so Skye decided to put Lilly to the bed earlier as she didn't expect FitzSimmons for the next few hours. Ward told her the day before they wouldn't come until eight or nine. She was going to talk to him about it; that's for sure.

"Hello!" she greeted them cheerfully as she walked from upstairs with the naked baby in her arms.

Simmons jumped about happily when she saw her friend and she ran to her. She hugged them carefully. "Hello, baby girl. Auntie Jemma missed you," she said with a smile as she pulled away from Skye and stroke Lilly's cheek.

Skye could see how Ward rolled his eyes and Fitz just shook his head with an amusement written in his face. She shot a glare at them before she smiled at Simmons and the little girl. Jemma seemed to be in her element. She loved her; it was beyond all doubt. "She missed you too."

"Well, we've got a bond, don't we, little one?" She tickled her foot. "Are you going to bath her?" Jemma asked as she looked up at Skye.

She nodded. "Yes. Lilly's tired so I thought I would bath her, feed her and put her to the bed early tonight," she explained.

"Oh, can I help you? Please, Skye, I want to enjoy her!" she pleaded.

Skye blinked. Her friend looked like she was going to cry if she refused. She didn't know Simmons like that and she was aware that it would be a problem one day; the day when she would have to give up this child and let her go. Skye's stomach tightened with fear; she didn't want to think about that day. "Of course you can," she assured her, her voice full of emotions.

She headed back upstairs, followed by Jemma.

That whole time Fitz watched all of them silently and he realized that something between Ward and Lilly has changed. When Skye appeared just a few minutes ago he watched the baby in her arms closely.

Fitz took a breath as he wanted to say something but Grant probably sensed that, gave him sharp look and spoke: "I'll show you your bedroom," he went the same direction as the girls.

The engineer sighed. Ward obviously didn't want to talk about it and he wasn't going to force him to that. Fitz knew he would tell him what was going on on his own terms.

Half an hour later Skye sat in the rocking chair in Lilly's bedroom and fed the baby in her arms. Jemma sat on the floor in front of her, her legs crossed, watching her friend with a smile.

"Is everything ok?" the biochemist asked.

Skye looked up, her eyebrows raised. "Yeah. Everything's fine. Why wouldn't be?"

Simmons shook her head and pressed her lips together; she looked worried. "You don't look ok."

"I don't?"

She sighed. "You look fine with Lilly but when you came downstairs you didn't even look at Ward and he watched you very carefully. And every time I mentioned him you changed the subject. So what is going on between the two of you?"

Now it was Skye who sighed. She bit her bottom lip and looked aside. "I don't know. He has changed," she whispered.

"What do you mean by he has changed?"

The younger woman shrugged. "He wants to be with Lilly. He actually cares about her. He's overprotective when it comes to her." She wasn't happy about it. He probably didn't realize that but she knew it would be very hard when they would have to let her go. Ward was attached to Lilly and it would complicate things even if she gave up her job with S.H.I.E.L.D. He didn't have any idea she was thinking about giving up her job but she was practically decided to do it because Lilly meant the world to her. So when it came to the decision to give up the job or the girl, her choice was clear.

Jemma frowned. "What is it?" She could see her friend was worried about something and she could say it wasn't the specialist.

Skye took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something." And she did. She told her friend how she felt and how she decided. She trusted Jemma would understand; maybe not immediately but she would eventually.

Simmons listened to her confession carefully, her face clear of emotions. She knew it wouldn't help if she showed how she felt. She also knew Skye was stubborn and if she made her mind nothing could change it. Even when she was sure there was something – or rather someone – who could change her mind in this case because she saw how Grant behaved around her and the little girl. If he was going to admit his feelings he wouldn't let either of them go which gave Jemma a hope. "Well," she started, "I understand all of your reasons and I'm not going to judge you. I mean it would be hypocrite if I did because I'm thinking about giving up my job myself." Her cheeks turned red. She didn't tell this to anybody yet and she was afraid of everybody's reaction.

Skye's eyes widened. "What?" She squeaked loudly which woke almost sleeping Lilly up. The baby looked at her fearfully. "Sorry, baby girl," she apologized as she looked down at her and smiled. "Why would you do such a thing?" asked Skye when she looked back at her friend.

Simmons shrugged. "Because of the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rules about dating and relationships between agents."

"Who are you dating?" she teased.

The biochemist gave her a look. "Who do you think?"

"Well, I was thinking about Trip," she shrugged innocently. "There is something about that guy." She smiled.

"Skye," she sighed.

"I'm just teasing you. Does it mean that you don't need two bedrooms?" She blinked conspiratorially.

"You wouldn't let us sleep in two bedrooms." Jemma could imagine that if they tried to have two separate rooms Skye would find a way how to frustrate it so at the end they would sleep in the same bedroom.

"Well, that's true but only because I knew you are going to end up with Fitz! You can't deny I was right all that time." Skye smiled triumphantly.

Simmons gave her a defeatist sigh. "If I admit you were right will you just stop grinning?"

The dark-haired woman looked as if she was thinking about it. "Most likely."

The British rolled her eyes. "Ok, Skye, you were right and I'm really glad about that!" she assured her friend.

"Did you see that?" asked Skye exasperatedly as she tried to fasten the seatbelt. An angry sigh escaped her lips. "Asshole!" she snapped when the seatbelt clicked in its place.

Jemma smiled even when she knew it would upset her friend even more. She understood why she was upset but she also knew what the specialist's intention was.

Skye started the engine and drove off from the house. "I'm going to tell him, Jemms!" she exclaimed firmly.

The biochemist sighed. She was afraid of it. "Are you sure it's such a good idea?"

She gave her quick look before turning her attention back on the road. "He will find out as soon as this stupid mission is over! So why should I wait?"

"Yeah but it's still a long way away."

"Why are you trying to stop me? You saw how he behaved! He didn't even let me say goodbye to Lilly! He thinks I'm too attached! I know he tries to protect me but it's not necessary! I'm not staying with S.H.I.E.L.D. if I can't keep her. I have to tell him! Call me selfish but she's Claire's daughter and she was my friend! I would let Lilly go but I can't. I just can't," she whispered and there were tears in her eyes.

Simmons took a breath. "Skye, I think you don't see what I see," she objected.

"What should I see?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Ward is attached to her as well," she said cagily. She was afraid of her reaction. She knew her friend would complain. The reason was clear; she didn't trust her SO anymore. She needed to see it with her own eyes.

Skye rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course he's not. He never gets attached. It would compromise him."

Jemma shook her head. "He has changed. You said it yourself. You should talk to him."

The woman in the driver's seat sighed. She wouldn't say it aloud but she knew her friend is right. She could see it every minute in the past few weeks and to be honest it scared her. She didn't want to see Grant as a loving father; she couldn't handle that. If she admitted that Ward is loving and kind and caring and not just a robot she would have a big problem then – her feelings would just grow stronger and she couldn't dare it.

"Skye I'm not saying you should change your mind. I'm just saying you should talk to Ward," said Simmons after a few minutes of silence. "It might help you find a way how to keep both, Lilly and," she paused, "your job."

Skye drove the car into the free space in the car park in front of the shopping centre. She turned off the engine and only then she looked at her friend, her lips pressed together with displeasure. "Shouldn't I talk to AC than? You know it's more possible that AC would help me to find a way how to keep both as he's the director now." She shrugged. She knew what Jemma is trying to say but she wasn't going to make it easier for her. Skye actually regretted that she told her about her plans.

"You know what I mean!" Simmons frowned.

She raised her eyebrows. "Of course I know what you mean but I don't talk about it with you anymore," she said and unfastened her seatbelt. "Now we're going to meet somebody as I need your support."

"My support? For what?" the biochemist asked and get off the car.

"With this mission. I'm going to introduce you Elaine."

"You know I think you should take your own advice," said Fitz as he watched the specialist with the little girl in his arms. They didn't speak since the girls left thirty minutes ago. They pretended they were watching football match in TV but neither of them really knew what was going on on the football pitch.

Ward smiled at the baby. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said but his voice wasn't even a tiny bit convincing.

The engineer gave him a look. "Yeah, I might believe you if I don't know you but I do know you so," he shrugged as he left the sentence unfinished.

Grant pressed his lips together tightly. "Drop it, Fitz!"

He chuckled. "You don't scare me anymore."

"Fitz," he warned.

The younger man just rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that the ops specialist – his friend – was trying to scare him off with the same things as more than a year ago. "You can't deny you've got feelings for both of them. You might think Skye don't realize that and you might be right but I know for sure Jemma saw what I saw and she's going to tell Skye. I know she won't believe her as you don't believe me but in the end you both will have to admit your feelings. Otherwise she will just walk away with Lilly and you won't see them ever again. Believe me you will regret it! It might take me years to admit what I feel to Jemma and I had to face the death but I told her and only thanks to you. Trust me when I'm saying I'm happy right now. You shouldn't deny that to yourself."

Ward listened very carefully to everything his friend said. He had to say Fitz's got a point. He knew he should tell Skye but he was afraid. He was afraid he was going to lose her then anyway. Even now he was losing her because he didn't talk to her. "I know you're right but I'm not going to tell her."

"Why not?"

He sighed and gently touched baby's fist. "Because she deserves better. They both do."

"You're stubborn and you are going to regret it!" warned Fitz. When Ward didn't answer the engineer just shook his head and changed the subject. "Could I hold Lilly for a minute?" he tried his luck.

"Not a chance," he blurted.

The younger man chuckled. "Why?"

Grant glanced at him. "Do you even know how to hold a baby?" he asked and the tone of his voice clearly indicated that he had doubts about it.

"Of course I know how to hold her. It wouldn't be the first time. Skye let me to hold her that day she came with her on the Bus. After your training." He shrugged.

Grant made a face. He didn't like the idea of everybody holding Lilly before him. He knew it was his fault but it didn't mean he was going to bear it easily.


End file.
